Pratt's lead narrows as Raman closes gap in Los Angeles mayoral race
Spencer Pratt's advantage over councilwoman Nithya Raman in the Los Angeles mayoral primary has fallen to about 1%, while Xavier Becerra secured a spot in the California governor's runoff.
The Los Angeles mayoral primary is tightening, with the latest count from the county registrar showing reality‑TV star Spencer Pratt ahead of City Councilwoman Nithya Raman by roughly one percentage point (27.3% to 26.2%) after 78% of votes were tallied. Incumbent Mayor Karen Bass has already been projected to advance to the runoff, where she will face either Pratt, a Republican, or Raman, a Democrat.
In the statewide governor's race, former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra was projected to move on to the November general election, overtaking Republican Steve Hilton, who had led earlier in the night. Billionaire Tom Steyer remains in third place and is contesting the second spot.
Political analysts noted that both races remain subject to further ballot counts, with California’s top‑two primary system advancing the two highest vote‑getters regardless of party affiliation. Becerra would become the first Latino governor of California since 1875 if elected.
"Spencer Pratt has been losing share of the vote with every one of these new ballot dumps, and we expect that to continue," said political data analyst Paul Mitchell. "The question is, will he drop? Will Nithya Raman rise?" Mitchell added that an inflection point could see Raman overtake Pratt.
Pratt, who previously expressed confidence about facing Bass, said he was prepared for any outcome. Raman, who entered the race late, told supporters after polls closed that she was running a "long shot" campaign without institutional backing but with a clear vision for the city.
County officials have up to 30 days to count provisional ballots, and mail‑in votes postmarked by Election Day must be counted if received within seven days.